Event Title
High Macroinvertebrate Diversity at Different Scales in Deep Sea and Shallow Water Environments
Faculty Sponsor
Craig McClain and Clifton Nunnally, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON)
College(s)
College of Sciences
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Description
A lack of clarity of where seafloor diversity is highest, as well as environmental factors shaping these patterns continues. A general, but rarely tested, hypothesis purports that the deep sea harbors high levels of biodiversity, exceeding coastal and shelf regions and rivaling coral reefs and tropical rainforests. However, consistent methodology and quantitative comparisons between benthic diversity in the deep sea and nearshore waters are lacking. Using the study by Sanders (1968) as a model, this study samples enthic invertebrate fauna in Terrebonne Bay, a coastal estuary of South Louisiana, and compares levels of biodiversity in this shallow, and more productive water to that in the deep-sea Gulf of Mexico. The same sampling methodology and measurements were deployed between the deep and shallow water sites to maintain consistency. Alpha diversity in Terrebonne Bay is found to be higher than the deep sea, but when the comparison is scaled up to the site and regional scales, the beta and gamma diversity prove to be higher in the deep. This finding therefore supports the hypothesis of high deep-sea diversity.
High Macroinvertebrate Diversity at Different Scales in Deep Sea and Shallow Water Environments
A lack of clarity of where seafloor diversity is highest, as well as environmental factors shaping these patterns continues. A general, but rarely tested, hypothesis purports that the deep sea harbors high levels of biodiversity, exceeding coastal and shelf regions and rivaling coral reefs and tropical rainforests. However, consistent methodology and quantitative comparisons between benthic diversity in the deep sea and nearshore waters are lacking. Using the study by Sanders (1968) as a model, this study samples enthic invertebrate fauna in Terrebonne Bay, a coastal estuary of South Louisiana, and compares levels of biodiversity in this shallow, and more productive water to that in the deep-sea Gulf of Mexico. The same sampling methodology and measurements were deployed between the deep and shallow water sites to maintain consistency. Alpha diversity in Terrebonne Bay is found to be higher than the deep sea, but when the comparison is scaled up to the site and regional scales, the beta and gamma diversity prove to be higher in the deep. This finding therefore supports the hypothesis of high deep-sea diversity.
Comments
1st place, Oral Presentation
Winner, Innsbruck Travel Award